It’s been many years since a woman skippered a yacht in the Lipton Challenge Cup, and with her skill and reputation, she will have a big following urging her to victory.
These were the words of Kerry Pride of the Royal Cape Yacht Club about Di Hutton-Squire from the Theewater Sport Club in Villiersdorp after it was announced that Hutton-Squire and her crew will be competing against the formidable Royal Cape Yacht Club, the current holders of the Lipton Challenge Cup, which they claimed in last year’s contest off the coast of Durban. .
The accomplished sailer Hutton-Squire is no stranger to top class sailing competitions and having been on the admin end of the Lipton Challenge Cup on several occasions as race officer and team manager, but this will be her first on-water attempt at wrestling the cup back for her club.
“I have an incredibly good boat in Tin-Tin, a JPK 10:10 design. She has a wonderful international pedigree with podiums in many international regattas.
So, if all the permutations like wind, weather, handicaps and crew work align that week, we could well be in with a chance of lifting the Lipton Cup” Hutton-Squire said.
“However, there are always buts, I will not be able to sail with or prepare my crew until late July due to a foot operation. We sailed last weekend as I have selected some crew and need to assess others. This will be a full-on training session before I make my final crew selection. I sincerely hope that this will be enough to make us competitive.”
The Lipton Cup, being a challenge contest, requires a club other than the defending club, to issue a challenge for a contest to be held. The Theewater Sports Club is no newcomer to the Lipton Challenge Cup having won on seven different occasions, the last being in 2008. In recent years the club has had a scarce presence in the regatta, so the hosts are delighted that Di Hutton-Squire has been selected, to challenge the Royal Cape Yacht Club.
Hutton-Squire fully understands that handicap racing, which is the way the Lipton Challenge Cup is now contested, can add pressure to teams. She feels that if the conditions are at the extreme ends of the scale – either very strong or very light – she and her team will have a strong chance of taking the honours and lifting the Lipton Cup in victory.
. Founded in 1905, the Royal Cape Yacht Club is a premier sailing institution in Cape Town, dedicated to promoting the sport of sailing and fostering a sense of community among its members. The club is renowned for hosting prestigious sailing events, including the historic Lipton Challenge Cup. The Lipton Challenge Cup was donated in 1909 to the Table Bay Yacht Club, which subsequently became the Royal Cape Yacht Club, by Sir Thomas Lipton, world-famous entrepreneur and five-time challenger for the America’s Cup.
The essential nature of the Lipton Challenge remains the same. It is an annual inter-club contest – one boat per club – to be held off-shore during the months of July and August. The long history of the Lipton Challenge in many ways reflects the history of competitive sailing in South Africa, and today the Cup is widely seen as the domestic trophy most SA sailors, young and old, would most like to win.
Entries do not close until 30 days prior to the start on 27 August, and a fleet of more than ten teams is expected. The City of Cape Town has backed this year’s event fully, acknowledging the importance of the Royal Cape Yacht Club in the City’s maritime history.
